As I type this, I am sitting back in Reception on the Africa Mercy. I had a wonderful, relaxing break in Cape Town, South Africa. I arrived back on the ship on Wednesday late afternoon, after a holiday of nine days - although it was only a week in Cape Town. Travelling home took a lot of time! Being home reminded me of how much I love Cape Town. It is where I grew up. My family and friends are there... But being home also made me realise how much I love the M/V Africa Mercy, and her crew. That being said, I am really happy to be back on the Mercy Ship for the next few months.
This past Sunday I took part in my 18th Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour – the world's largest timed cycling event. I cycled it for Mercy Ships and the people of Liberia. That was the vision that God gave me when I heard I would be coming back to do the race. So I cycled it with a large Mercy Ships flag streaming behind my saddle, and I wore a Mercy Ships t-shirt as well. This can be seen in the photo here. It was a wonderful experience, and rather humbling as well. I now know that I certainly am not “Murray The Cyclist”. I was humbled because I cramped from around the 40 km mark. I cramped for over 65 kms of the 109 km route! It was terrible. I had to stop a couple of times to get massages. But it was good in that I knew I wasn't riding it competitively, and so I was happy to complete the event in 5 hrs 10 mins. It was great to give Mercy Ships the publicity. And, hopefully, some spectators or fellow cyclists will be curious as to what Mercy Ships does, and will google it on the Internet. It's all about creating awareness. But all glory must go to God. I am so thankful that he gave me this opportunity to return home to Cape Town, and I am so thankful to be back on the ship.
Moving on, I am really wanting to extend my time of service on the Mercy Ship, until possibly the end of the 2008 Outreach in November/December. I feel that God is wanting me to stay on longer. This would be for another five months (from my original departure date of June 2008). If you feel led to support or continuing to support me, then please contact me.
Finally, I must thank all of you for your support – both financial or in prayer – towards me and my time on the Mercy Ship. I have really appreciated it. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog, and I will keep the posts coming! God bless.
